There are plenty of ways to attack a task and and I’m putting my bet on ‘the fast way’ over ‘the slow way,’ when it comes to stacking dishes, washing grime off plates and wiping crumbs up from underneath the toaster. But fear not. I’m on a mission to get the job done and fast.
These are my hot tips on how to get out on that porch and sitting in ‘relaxation’ pose and fast.
The key to any speed-cleaning expedition is to prepare properly. A busy person must have a clear mental picture of what should be done and must stick to a plan (yes, using an egg-timer), and then attack the job with speed and precision.
No matter what the scenario at home (i.e. Missy pulling at your clothes while you are cutting onions) every challenge should be tackled successfully. Just focus. Take a quick bite of that donut for an energy boost and divide the job into a few simple steps.
Here is my quick four-step system for cleaning a kitchen in five minutes:
Step 1 | Line up your buckets
Set up three bins or buckets on the bench for:
- Recycling
- Rubbish bin
- Things that don’t belong
The main reason this is important is the fact that you don’t want to be running around the kitchen, backwards and forwards unnecessarily. This is vital to achieving this speed cleaning job in less than five minutes.
Step 1 | Group like items together
- Focus on like objects. For example, start with rubbish and discard all rubbish in one sweep.
- Put all ‘things that don’t belong’ in that dump bucket.
- Stack all plates near the sink and run a sink of hot water.
- Place all pantry items back in the pantry at once.
- Place items for the fridge and freezer back in one sweep.
Step 3 | Do the dishes
Once the bench is clear of rubbish you can start on the dishes.
This is to make sure all the dishes are done in one action. Another reason is that you need to focus on this bigger job so that you are not and running around and wasting energy aimlessly.
Rinse dishes for the dishwasher or wash them by hand. Do this as quickly and accurately as you can using the right tools including a good sponge, scourer and liquid cleansers.
To flesh this out somewhat, again wash like items together.
- Wash all flat plates at once or place them in the dishwasher.
- Wash all cups at once or rinse them and place them in the dishwasher.
- Wash all cups at once and all knives and forks at once.
- Make sure you have soaked pots after use to make sure cleaning them is easier.
- If you need a system for this step simply work from the big items to the small items. This way the bench will clear faster as the bigger items disappear.
Work the same way when drying items and putting them away. Work big to small and then you will have an easy system to work to.
Step 4 | Wipe down surfaces
Finally wipe down benches using a drop of Eucalyptus or tea tree oil in hot water and empty the kitchen rubbish bin and recycle bin into outdoor bins. Also, take your ‘things that don’t belong’ bucket into the next room.
When you believe you have followed these steps attentively, you have succeeded in creating a beautifully clean kitchen in just five minutes! Wow!
Now you can move into another room, where you will decant items for that room from the dump bucket and place items that don’t belong in that room into the dump bucket. (Note: Square plastic buckets with handles work best.)
But first, congratulate yourself and make yourself a nice cuppa. Enjoy sitting in your beautifully clean kitchen with a feeling of clarity and accomplishment!
If your kitchen was really dirty and you didn’t achieve this task in five minutes, don’t dismay because practice makes perfect! There are many minutes in a day and you can keep practising until you achieve this goal!
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